Why Haven’t You Gotten Your Raise?

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If you are like most Americans, you don’t make enough money to sit comfortable, but enough to get by. Everyone thinks they deserve a raise, but if you haven’t gotten a good one in a while, there might be a simple explanation. And it’s not necessarily that you’re bad at your job, or that the economy is still hurting.

LifeHacker.com has 10 reasons why you probably haven’t gotten a raise. While your poor work performance MAY be the issue, the website’s survey says it may be other things.

#1.) You Only Do What’s Expected of You. A raise is usually a sign that your boss knows you’re doing more than the bare minimum without complaining. A good rule of thumb is to be the type of employee who makes your boss’s job easier.

#2.) You Go to Your Boss Every Time There’s a Problem. This kind of goes with the last one, because if you can’t solve a problem and deal with things on your own, then you’re probably making your boss’s job HARDER. And ultimately, you’re more likely to get a raise if you can provide solutions, not just let people know when there’s a problem.

#3.) You Don’t Call Attention to Your Accomplishments. You can’t just do a bunch of extra work and HOPE someone notices. You have to make sure they know . . . but be subtle about it. For example, if a client sends you an email thanking you for something you helped with, copy your boss when you reply. It’s like bragging without actually bragging.

#4.) You’re Not Updating Your Skill Set. In other words, you’re not staying up-to-date on things that would make you better at your job, which is especially important if you work in technology.

#5.) You’re Not Paying Attention to Details. If you make a lot of mistakes, ask the same questions over and over again, or your boss constantly has to remind you about stuff, you probably shouldn’t expect a huge raise . . . or any raise.

#6.) You Haven’t ASKED for a Raise. If none of the other stuff on this list applies to you, then you might just need to bring it up. But before you do, make sure you can explain WHY you deserve one.